The Dancing Tree 10.14.08

New Additions:

Lotus - Hammerstrike CD - Lotus formed at a Mennonite college that had banned on-campus dancing as late as the 1980's, and has been creatively fusing electronic dance music with instrumental post-rock for the past eight years. Hammerstrike finds the band reaching back in order to move forward. Primarily recorded live in one room to analog tape by Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Man Man), the album captures a sound that harkens back to the 70's but never slips into nostalgic retreads. The compositions are focused and melodic, filled out with orchestration including swelling violins and cellos, banjo, wordless choirs, and electronic noises. Though the tracks range from dance floor ready rockers to soaring post-rock instrumentals, the album is held together by a sanguine spirit pervading each track. The big guitars, feedback, and distortion serve an optimistic purpose. It is a decidedly American feel that invokes big skies, open roads, and a zealous yet naive pursuit of the idea that defeat will never be conceded. $14.98

Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain CD - Recorded with returning producer Ethan Johns in Box, England, and touching upon a range of styles and musical settings spanning pastoral folk, railroad blues, front porch country, and plangent balladry, Gossip In The Grain proves to be his most creative and emotionally expansive collection to date. Whereas LaMontagne's two previous albums were largely solo affairs with Johns serving as multi-tasking instrumentalist, Gossip In The Grain sees him joined by members of his touring band, bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood (with Johns largely handling drum duties). Along with his band members, LaMontagne is also joined on two tracks - "A Falling Through" and "I Still Care For You" - by singer/songwriter Leona Naess. $17.99

Martin Sexton - Solo CD - Finally, Martin Sexton captured in his purest form - solo. Hear why Billboard calls him "The Real Thing, People" and why John Mayer says "Martin Sexton is the Best Live Performer I've Ever Seen". It's easy to forget there's only one man on stage listening to rarities like "Caught In The Rain" and covers like "Purple Rain", Ray Charles' "Hard Times", and a crowd sing-along on "With A Little Help From My Friends". Spine-tingling performances from the "Master of Dynamics" (Acoustic Guitar Magazine), brilliantly recorded in theaters coast to coast. Two bonus band tracks complete this collection of 72 minutes of raw, sensual emotion from America's soul sensation. $14.99

Mighty Underdogs - Droppin' Science Fiction CD - A hip-hop trio (two MCs and one producer), the Mighty Underdogs sound so laid-back, bemused and confident on their debut LP that even those who didn't recognize the names involved might guess that these are not people going about their day jobs. Lateef the Truth Speaker and Gift of Gab are, of course, two of the brightest rappers to emerge between the death of alternative rap and the birth of the underground, and their thirst for innovative side projects appears to be nowhere near sated. Their producer here, Headnodic, is less of a major figure, but that just means he has more to prove. His tracks on Droppin' Science Fiction mark him as a producer to watch - although he's actually been around for quite a while - calling on everything from old-school rap to lowrider digitalia to hard rock in order to power these tracks (all of which are either hip-hop or deep groove). He also corrals a large cast of musical guests - DJ Shadow, MF Doom, Lyrics Born, Mr. Lif, Chali 2na, and more. $15.99

Hot Day at The Zoo - Long Way Home EP - Hot Day at the Zoo is a fiercely progressive "Newgrass" string band grown in Lowell, MA. Perhaps it's easier to coin a word to describe them than it is to pigeonhole their music - fans describe the band's pioneering sound as "ZooGrass." The foot-stomping, bass-thumping sounds of HDATZ are a far cry from that of your typical bluegrass band. HDATZ mixes their high-energy, gritty-urban-bluegrass with strong elements of folk, blues, ragtime and jazz. Their tunes are layered with intricacies and depth reminiscent of Robert Hunter, the Grateful Dead, and Yonder Mountain String Band. $5.99

Freekbass T-Shirt - Black t-shirt with image of Freekbass on front in a white silhouette. A stylish T on it's own, a statement of allegiance to funk for those in the know! $15.00








Corey Harris - Zion Crossroads CD - You knew Corey wasn't going to stay in one place, and Zion Crossroads serves as his next huge leap. Inspired and informed by his travels to various parts of Africa over the past decade, the album captures some of the most enduring elements of African-American music - blues, reggae, soul and so much more - and infuses them with a sense of history, social consciousness and spirituality. Harris gets help on the path to Zion Crossroads from producer Michael G, guitarist and co-founder of Easy Star All-Stars, the New York-based reggae collective that crafted Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread. Like Harris, he sees the project as a powerful convergence of style, vision, history and culture: "The marriage of Corey's socially conscious lyrics and the revolutionary sounds of reggae make for a potent musical cocktail that arouses the body, mind, and spirit." $16.99
Also Available from Corey Harris:
Between Midnight and Day CD
Fish Ain't Bitin' CD
Greens From the Garden CD
Mississippi To Mali CD
Daily Bread CD


We managed to get our hands on more autographed copies of Jimmy Herring's new album, Lifeboat. The album releases next week, and you can get an autographed copy by ordering now - but there are only 10 autographed copies left, so don't delay!

Coming Soon: